Take your children or your inner child to the Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium and celebrate at the Planetarium’s sixth anniversary with a day full of games, arts and crafts, activities, special Planetarium features and more Saturday, April 16 from noon to 8 p.m.

Admission to the activities is free and open to the public. Admission to the Planetarium shows is $3.00 for children and adults.

“As has been the tradition, we will have a day full of games, arts and crafts, hands-on activities, food prizes and a special reading of the book, ‘Little Armored One of the South Texas Plains,’ release of our new Planetarium show, ‘The Little Star That Could,’ and a special showing of the family favorite, ‘Toy Story,’ ” announced Gerardo A. Pérez, director, TAMIU LBV Planetarium.

Show times for “The Little Star That Could” are: noon and 3 p.m., “Toy Story” at 1, 4, 6 and 8 p.m.

“The Little Star That Could” is a delightful fantasy about a “Little Star” who wants to discover who he is. He travels around the universe, looking for a place to call his own. Along the way he meets different stars and understand what makes them all different. The program is fun for the whole family.

DisneyPixar’s “Toy Story” shows us what toys do when people aren’t around in a fantastic fun-filled journey through the eyes of two rival toys—Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, and Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen. The mismatched duo put aside their differences and find themselves in a hilarious adventure-filled mission where they only way to survive is to work together.

“Little Armored One of the South Plains” author Elaine Renfro and illustrator Bobbie Dunlap will be at the anniversary celebration to entertain children, parents and friends with a reading and discussion from the book. The story is set in rhyme and features vibrant artistic expression as it tracks the adventures of a resident armadillo who seeks to know whether humans at TAMIU will always share spaces with the animals or if the animals will one day be pushed out.
A book signing by Renfro, the pen name of TAMIIU assistant professor of education Dr. Sandra Garrett, and illustrator Dunlap will follow the presentation.

The book will also be presented by TAMIU College of Education pre-service teachers during the Planetarium’s celebration of “Week of the Young Child” Monday, April 11 – Friday, April 15.

During “Week of the Young Child,” students visiting the Planetarium will be able to participate in games and educational activities.

If visitors don’t get enough of the Planetarium’s largest screen in the city, there will be an other chance to see “The Little Star That Could” Saturday, April 23 at noon and 2 p.m. “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” will show at 1 p.m. Admission for these shows is $3.

For more information, contact Pérez at planetarium@tamiu.edu, call 326-DOME (3663) or click online at tamiu.edu/planetarium

Additional information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.